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Ramps 1: Let it Roll!
Students perform the following activity as a group so that they can gain experience with how ramps work. Students will first construct a simple ramp and then time how fast different objects roll down that ramp.
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Falling
Students should describe the path that the motion would take as well as what might begin or stop the motion. The common characteristic of all the motions that students have experienced directly is that one or more forces are acting on...
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Electricity/Magnetism
Second graders experiment with ballons to see which objects will cling and which objects will not. They use an assortment of objects, paper clips, pennies, button, scraps of paper, or puffed cereal. They make predictions and record results.
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Color Dots 3
Students make simple observations, test mixtures, and make generalized inferences from their observations. They observe bleeding of colored inks with water.
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Simple Machines/Technology
Third graders examine the concept of work as the movement of an object through a distance. They define gravity and determine what type of work is caused by gravity. They measure how far an object is moved by a force. They make a...
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Machines Use Energy
Third graders observe and discuss examples of friction. They discuss what experimentally increases and decreases friction. They then predict which surface will produce the most friction and verify the prediction.
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What Goes Up Must Come Down!
Students hypothesize about the nature of falling objects, design an experimental test to answer the question using everyday objects, analyze data to form conclusions, and infer that mass does not affect the speed of falling objects. This...
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StarDarts
Learners divide into groups of four or five and distribute materials to design StarDarts by drawing and cutting out 6-8 cardstock stars, each about one and a half inches across. They decorate their stars with phosphorescent paint...
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Design Weather Instruments using LEGO Sensors
Students design and create a LEGO structure that will house and protect a temperature sensor. They leave the structure in a safe spot and check the temperature regularly and chart it. After the students have built their structures, the...
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Mystery Card 3
Students will make a circuit on a mystery card. They will connect wires, bulbs, and battery to form an electrical tester. After students learn how to make one following the directions, they can create their own mystery card by...
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Keep Cool
Pupils design an experiment to determine which type of container would be best to use to keep drinks cool on a hot day. Students test paper cups, styrofoam cups, and metal cans by filling them with ice water and they use a thermometer...
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Mystery Card 2
Students make a circuit on a mystery card. They then use an electrical tester to determine where electricity flows between circles on the card. They will connect wires, bulbs, and a battery to form an electrical tester.
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Mystery Card 1
Students test their knowledge of electrical conductors and circuits by constructing an electric tester and using it to determine where electricity flows between circles on a mystery card.
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A Change of Scene
Young scholars are challenged to create optical illusions using using cut-outs. The activity provokes thoughtful discussion about scale.
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Water Displacement
Students formulate a hypothesis using critical thinking skills. They use an orange to examine the displacement of water as the orange sinks or floats.
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Fish Tank Optics: Learning How Light Travels
Students examine light waves and see how they travel. They explain that light moves in waves, which can bounce off of or go through materials. They use a flashlight to shine on a variety of objects.
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Polymer Physics on the Playground
Students investigate what materials allow them to slide down a slide the fastest. They set up test procedures and carry out an experiment.
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Jungle Gym Drop
Students drop a variety of objects from a jungle gym to explore how different shapes, sizes, and masses relate to forces and motion.
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Just The Fax
Learners discover how a fax machine works including: how a light sensor works, how light is reflected and how signals move across telephone lines. A "bingo" type game is played where students simulate the work of a fax machine to create...
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Paper Structures
Students demonstrate that material strength varies with shape and arrangement.
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Old Fashioned Christmas Toy
Students create an old fashioned toy that explains stored, potential and movement energy.
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Flying With Mathematics!
Third graders fly miniature airplanes to discover characteristics related to velocity and average speed. After measuring the time and distance of their flights, 3rd graders calculate the average velocity of their planes.
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A Veritable Circus: Investigating Balance
Students experiment with balance to learn about verticle balance, horizontal balance, center of gravity, and become active problem solvers and "scientists." Student engage in manipulating and changing experimental materials.